ES2880037T3 - Egg transport device, in particular an egg elevator - Google Patents

Abstract

Egg transport device, in particular an egg lifter (1), comprising: - conveyor means (3) for transporting eggs (2) to the egg transport device, where said conveyor means (3) comprise a conveyor plate ( 9) that has an upper side (11) on which the eggs are deposited, and where said conveyor plate is provided with a plurality of slots placed in parallel and separated from each other (27), an open end (27A) of which is located on one edge (9A) of the conveyor plate, and a closed end (27B) is spaced from the opposite edge (9B) of the conveyor plate, where eggs are supplied from that opposite edge (9B), and where the parts of the conveyor plate (9) located between the grooves (27) form fingers (29), - discharge means (5) for discharging eggs from the egg transport device, and - transport means (7) which are located between the med The conveyors and the discharge means for transporting eggs from the conveyor means to the discharge means, where said transport means (7) comprise a flexible uninterrupted transport element (33) that is provided with comb-shaped conveyors (17) located in the longitudinal direction of the transport element and at a mutual distance placed one behind the other, where these conveyors are provided with a plurality of feed teeth (19) placed at spaced intervals transversely to the longitudinal direction of the transport element and moving through the slots located in the conveyor means, where free ends (19A) of the feed teeth located next to the closed end (27B) of the slots enter the slots (27) when they come from below and move towards the open end (27A) of the slots, where they rise above the slots with increasing length, where di Many feed teeth (19) have a front side with which the eggs come into contact during operation, characterized in that the upper side (30) of the fingers (29) has a coefficient of friction greater than the coefficient of friction. friction of the front side (20) of the feed teeth (19), so that, during operation, the eggs (2) roll on the upper side (30) of the fingers and slide along the front side ( 20) of the feed teeth.

Description

DESCRIPTION

Egg transport device, in particular an egg elevator

Field of the invention

[0001] The invention relates to an egg transport device, in particular an egg elevator, comprising:

- conveyor means for conveying eggs to an egg conveyor device, comprising, said conveyor means, a conveyor plate having an upper side on which the eggs are deposited, and which, said conveyor plate, is provided with a plurality of slots placed in parallel and spaced from each other, an open end of which is located on one edge of the carrier plate, and a closed end is spaced from the opposite edge of the carrier plate, where the eggs are provided from this opposite edge, and where the pieces of the carrier plate located between the grooves form fingers,

- discharge means for discharging eggs from the egg transport device, and - transport means that are located between the conveyor means and the discharge means for transporting eggs from the conveyor means to the discharge means, comprising, said means conveyor, a flexible uninterrupted conveyor element which is provided with comb-shaped conveyors positioned longitudinally to the conveyor element and at a mutual distance positioned one behind the other, these conveyors provided with a plurality of feed teeth positioned at spaced intervals transversely to the longitudinal direction of the transport element and moving through the grooves located in the conveyor means, where free ends of the feed dogs located next to the closed end of the grooves enter the grooves when they come from down and move to the end a open from the grooves, where they rise above the grooves with increasing length, where said feed dogs have a front side with which the eggs come into contact during operation.

State of the art

[0002] A transport device according to the preamble of claim 1 is known from WO2006 / 074077A. This known transport device is not specifically designed to transport eggs. If this known transport device were used to transport eggs, problems could arise during the supply of eggs and the subsequent transport of the eggs, because the eggs end up on top of each other at the point of supply and thus become damaged and / or they supply in the longitudinal direction transversely towards the conveyors, so that they can get jammed between the consecutive conveyors and break.

Summary of the invention

[0003] An object of the invention is to provide an egg transport device, more particularly an egg elevator, of the type described in the preamble, where the probability of the eggs being damaged is less than with the known device. For this purpose, the egg transport device according to the invention is characterized in that the upper side of the fingers has a coefficient of friction greater than the friction coefficient of the front side of the feed teeth, so that During operation, the eggs roll on the upper side of the fingers and slide along the front side of the feed dogs. As the eggs roll on the fingers of the conveyor means, the eggs placed on top of others will roll down from them and the eggs will always advance with their longitudinal direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the conveyors. As a result, there is little or no chance that the eggs will be damaged.

[0004] The eggs roll from a conveyor belt to the conveyor plate and are transported by the conveyors in the same direction as the direction in which they roll. The transport direction will gradually change to the vertical direction only once the eggs are moved by the conveyors. Thus, the eggs will move forward and change direction easily. As a result, the probability of the eggs being damaged is less than with the known egg transport device, and jams due to disturbances in transport cannot occur. The egg transport device according to the invention can better cope with supply disturbances, because the conveyors transport the objects that do not belong to the egg flow (manure lumps, dead chickens, etc.) and fall from the transport device of eggs in the gradual transition from the horizontal direction to the vertical direction.

[0005] By increasing the speed of the conveying means, in the egg conveying device according to the invention, the egg processing capacity can be greater than the conveying capacity of the conveyor belt, so that it can be avoid crushing eggs. By making the means of transport run faster than the conveyor belt, the supply of eggs is spaced so that no blockage can occur. If the eggs were arranged on top of each other in the supply stream, the bottom eggs would advance easily and the top eggs would gradually roll from their position on the bottom eggs. This is a difference from the known transport device, in which the eggs from the top fall off the top of the eggs from the bottom.

[0006] As the surface of the upper side of the fingers is rougher than that of the front side of the feed teeth, the coefficient of friction between the eggs and the fingers is greater than that between the eggs and the carriers, which causes that the eggs roll on the fingers and do not slide. As a result, the eggs will be better dispersed across the width of the conveyors and spread horizontally with their longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the conveyors, so that the conveyors can be placed a shorter distance apart, of so that capacity increases at the same rate of transfer.

[0007] An embodiment of the egg transport device according to the invention is characterized in that the fingers are flexible in a perpendicular direction towards the upper side of the conveyor plate. This further reduces the risk of damage to the eggs during operation.

[0008] It is preferable that the fingers are so flexible that they bend under the weight of the eggs during operation, and that the parts of the conveyors located between the feed dogs support them, so that they do not bend further.

[0009] A further embodiment of the egg transport device according to the invention is characterized by the fact that:

- the discharge means comprise a discharge plate having an upper side on which the eggs are discharged, which is provided, said discharge plate, with a plurality of additional grooves placed spaced apart in parallel, one open end of which is located at one edge of the discharge plate and a closed end is located away from the opposite edge of the discharge plate, where the eggs are discharged from this opposite edge, and

- where the feed dogs enter the additional grooves through the open end of the additional grooves, where the free ends of the feed dogs project as far as possible above the additional grooves, where said feed dogs move towards the end closing of the additional grooves where they project over the additional grooves with decreasing length until the free ends disappear into the additional grooves.

In this case, the direction of the eggs also changes gradually, which causes the risk of damage to decrease, compared to a sudden change in direction.

[0011] Another further embodiment of the egg transport device according to the invention is characterized in that the transport element comprises a chain movable along a guide in the transport means and includes a plurality of connected links to each other, joined by bolts that are placed at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the transport element where, in one of the two links connected to each other, the bolt is placed with clearance in a slotted hole, and between the bolt and a On the side of the dividing wall of the hole that is located close to the other of the two links, an elastic spacer is arranged.

[0012] By stretching the chain, causing successive / adjacent links to move away from each other, the elastic spacers will be resilient and therefore keep the chain in tension. This allows a chain tensioner to be dispensed with when using such a chain, because the chain itself maintains tension when mounted slightly stretched. The use of such a chain also allows the egg transport device to operate in two directions without the need to adjust / move a tensioning device for this purpose.

[0013] It should be taken into account that a chain, in which the bolts by which the links are connected to each other are placed with play in holes and elastic spacers are located between the bolts and the dividing walls of the holes, where the elastic spacers eliminate play and, when the links are stretched, show a resilient behavior and therefore are able to keep the chain in tension, it can also be used in other devices or systems different to the egg elevator described here, and that the possibility of separate protection of said chain is maintained.

[0014] The bolt preferably has a reduced diameter in the middle or a recess, where the spacer is partially located in the area of reduced diameter or recess. As a result, the spacer also ensures axial confinement of the bolt.

[0015] Furthermore, the links are preferably provided with stops that limit the mutual rotation of the links around the pins, so that the probability of the chain jamming is less and the eggs will not break.

[0016] A further embodiment of the egg transport device according to the invention is characterized in that the guide comprises two metal bars that run parallel to each other, and each link is provided with plastic guides that move to along the bars. By making the guides from a high-quality material, the links can be made from a relatively inexpensive plastic.

Each guide preferably comprises two separate plastic lips that meet on each of the two sides of one of the metal bars during movement and, if these separate from the metal bars on or near the conveyor means, they are capable of sliding around the metal bar on their own. The lips are designed so that the sticks can grip them and that they can slide over the sticks.

Brief description of the drawings

The invention will be explained in more detail below by means of an example of embodiment of the egg transport device according to the invention shown in the drawings, where:

Fig. 1 shows the egg transport device designed as an egg elevator;

Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of the discharge means of the egg transport device; Fig. 3 shows a side view of the conveyor means;

Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of the discharge means;

Fig. 5 shows a perspective view of a separate conveyor;

Fig. 6 shows a sectional view of a detail of the conveyor means shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 shows in detail a view from below of the connection between two links connected to each other; and Fig. 8 shows a sectional view of an alternative embodiment of the discharge means.

Detailed description of the drawings

Fig. 1 shows an egg transport device designed as an egg elevator, partially shown schematically. The egg elevator 1 comprises conveyor means 3 for conveying eggs, as well as discharge means 5 for unloading eggs, and conveyance means 7 located between the conveyor means and the discharge means for conveying eggs in the vertical direction. The conveyor means has a conveyor plate 9 with an upper side 11 on which the eggs coming from a conveyor belt roll during operation. The discharge means have a discharge plate 13 having an upper side 15 from which the eggs are discharged. The transport means 7 have a flexible uninterrupted transport element 8 which is provided with comb-shaped conveyors 17 positioned one behind the other and which are provided with adjacent drive teeth 19. The transport means additionally have a frame formed by mutually joined frame parts 21, 23, to which are attached two parallel guide bars 25 which form the guide along which the transport element can be moved.

[0020] Figs. 3 and 4 show the conveyor means 3 and the discharge means 5 in side and sectional views, respectively. The conveyor plate 9 and the discharge plate 13 are substantially identical. Only the orientation and direction of movement of the transport element 8 relative to the discharge conveyor plates are different. Fig. 2 illustrates a perspective view of the discharge means 5. The conveyor plate 9 and the discharge plate 13 are provided with a plurality of parallel grooves 27, an open end 27A of which is located in a edge 9A, 13A of the conveyor plate or discharge plate 13A, respectively, and a closed end 27B is away from the opposite edge 9B, 13B of the conveyor plate or discharge plate, respectively. From this opposite edge, the eggs 2 are transported or unloaded, respectively, and roll into or out of the egg elevator. The pieces located between the grooves 27 of the carrier plate form resilient fingers 29.

[0021] The upper side 30 of the fingers 29 has a coefficient of friction greater than the friction coefficient of the front side 20 of the feed teeth 19, so that, during operation, the eggs 2 roll on the upper side 30 of the fingers and slide along the front side 20 of the feed teeth. The fingers 29 are flexible in a perpendicular direction towards the upper side 11 of the carrier plate 9. The fingers 29 are so flexible that they bend under the weight of the eggs 2 during operation, and the pieces of the carriers located between the teeth of drag 19 support them, so that they do not bend further. Also, in the discharge means the surface of the upper side of the fingers is rougher than that of the front side of the feed teeth.

[0022] Fig. 4 shows a sectional view of the media is discharged. The discharge plate 13 is provided with a plurality of additional parallel-positioned grooves 31 (see also Fig. 1) in which one end An open 31A is located at an edge 13A of the discharge plate and a closed end 31B is located away from the opposite edge 13B of the discharge plate.

The drive teeth 19 of the comb-shaped conveyors 17 move through the slots 27 and additional slots 31 during operation of the egg elevator. In the conveyor means 3, the free ends 19A of the feed teeth 19 move from below through the grooves near the closed end 27B of the grooves, and when they move toward the open end 27A of the grooves, the feed teeth drag 19 are raised over the slots with increasing length as the eggs are carried. This is clearly seen in Fig. 3.

In the discharge means 5, see Fig. 4, the drive teeth 19 of the conveyors 17 enter the additional slots through the open end 31A, while the free ends 19A of the drive teeth protrude to the maximum above the other grooves 31. During the transfer of the drive teeth 19 towards the closed end 31B of the additional grooves; said feed dogs rise with decreasing length above the additional grooves and thus release the eggs, until the free ends finally completely disappear into the additional grooves. As a result, the eggs 2 are easily pushed onto the discharge plate 13.

[0025] The transport element is formed by a chain 33 that can move along the bars. The chain comprises a plurality of mutually connected links 35. These links are connected to each other by bolts 37 which are positioned at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the chain. The chain is driven by a sprocket 39. The conveyors 17 are removably arranged on the links and can also be arranged on the links in a 180 degree rotated position if the conveying direction of the chain were reversed.

[0026] In Fig. 5 a conveyor 17 mounted on a link 35 is shown in enlarged form. The feed teeth 19 are bent forward in the conveying direction. The link is provided with a slotted hole through which a bolt 37 protrudes with play. The link is also provided with stops that limit the rotation of the links with respect to the bolts. These stops are formed by elongated ends 19B of the drive teeth 19 located in the middle of the conveyor 17.

[0027] Fig. 6 shows a detailed sectional view of the conveyor means shown in Fig. 3, where the mutual coupling of the links is clearly seen. Fig. 7 shows a detailed view from above of the two-link coupling. The bolt 37 is placed, with clearance, in a hole 39 in one of the links 35. Between the bolt 37 and the side 39A of the dividing wall of the hole that is located near the other of the two links 35 'is located a spacer elastic 41 which makes it possible to install the chain in the egg elevator by prestressing, so that a chain tensioner can be dispensed with. The bolt 37 has a small hole 37A in the middle and the spacer 41 is partially in the area of the small hole to include the bolt 37 in the axial direction.

The underside of each link has two pairs of plastic guides 43 that slide along two parallel bars 25 (for example, made of stainless steel and / or chrome). These guides are formed by plastic lips that are located on both sides of one of the metal bars during movement. If the links in the return part of the chain were to separate from the guide, the lips of the conveyor means would slide over the metal bars again.

Fig. 8 shows an alternative embodiment of the discharge means. In these discharge means 5 'the discharge plate 13' is not provided with grooves and is located at a lower level. The eggs 2 transported along the conveyors 17 roll from the feed dogs 19 on the discharge plate 13 'as a result of gravity. The drive teeth 19 of the conveyors 17 move along the discharge plate. Since the feed dogs do not need to move through the grooves, the conveying means are less likely to be interrupted.

Although the present invention has just been described based on the provided drawings, it should be noted that this invention is by no means limited to the embodiments shown in the drawings. The invention also extends to all embodiments outside the embodiments shown in the drawings within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims (9)

1. Egg transport device, in particular an egg elevator (1), comprising: - conveyor means (3) to transport eggs (2) to the egg transport device, where said conveyor means (3) comprise a conveyor plate (9) that has an upper side (11) on which the eggs are deposited, and wherein said conveyor plate is provided with a plurality of grooves placed in parallel and spaced from each other (27), an open end (27A) of which is located on an edge (9A) of the conveyor plate, and a closed end (27B) is spaced from the opposite edge (9B) of the carrier plate, where the eggs are supplied from that opposite edge (9B), and where the portions of the carrier plate (9) located between the grooves (27) form some fingers (29), - discharge means (5) for discharging eggs from the egg transport device, and - transport means (7) that are located between the conveyor means and the discharge means to transport eggs from the conveyor means to the discharge means, where said transport means (7) comprise a flexible uninterrupted transport element (33) which is provided with comb-shaped conveyors (17) positioned longitudinally to the conveying element and at a mutual distance positioned one behind the other, wherein these conveyors are provided with a plurality of feed dogs (19) positioned at transversely spaced intervals to the longitudinal direction of the transport element and moving through the grooves located in the conveyor means, where free ends (19A) of the drive teeth located next to the closed end (27B) of the grooves enter the grooves (27) when they come from below and travel towards the open end (27A) of the slots, where they rise by above the grooves with increasing length, where said feed dogs (19) have a front side with which the eggs come into contact during operation, characterized by the fact that the upper side (30) of the fingers (29) has a coefficient of friction greater than the coefficient of friction of the front side (20) of the feed teeth (19), so that, during operation , the eggs (2) roll on the upper side (30) of the fingers and slide along the front side (20) of the feed teeth. 2. Egg transport device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the fingers (29) are flexible in a direction perpendicular to the upper side (11) of the conveyor plate (9). Egg transport device as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the fingers (29) are so flexible that they bend under the weight of the eggs (2) during operation, and the parts of the conveyors located between the drive teeth (19) support them, so that they do not bend further. 4. Egg transport device as claimed in claim 1, 2 or 3, characterized in that : - the discharge means (5) comprise a discharge plate (13) having an upper side (15) on which the eggs are discharged, where the discharge plate is provided with a plurality of additional grooves placed spaced apart in parallel ( 31), an open end of which (31A) is located at one edge (13A) of the discharge plate and a closed end (31B) is located away from the opposite edge (13B) of the discharge plate, where the eggs are discharged from this opposite edge, and - where the drive teeth (19) enter the additional slots (31) through the open end (31A) of the additional slots, where the free ends (19A) of the drive teeth project as far as possible above the slots additional slots, where said drive teeth move towards the closed end (31B) of the additional slots where they rise above the additional slots with decreasing length until the free ends disappear into the additional slots. Egg transport device as claimed in claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, characterized in that the transport element (33) is formed by a chain that moves along a guide of the means of transport and comprises a plurality of links connected to each other (35, 35 ') by means of bolts (37) that are placed at right angles to the longitudinal direction of the transport element, where, in one of the two links connected to each other (35), the bolt is positioned, with play, in a slotted hole (39), and an elastic spacer (41) is arranged between the bolt and the side (39A) of the dividing wall of the hole that is located close to the other of the two links. 6. An egg transport device as claimed in claim 5, characterized in that the bolt (37) has a reduced diameter in the middle or has a recess, and in that the spacer (41) it is partially in the area of the small hole (37A) or cavity. Egg transport device as claimed in claim 5 or 6, characterized in that some links (35) are provided with stops (17B) that limit the rotation of the links relative to each other around the bolts ( 37). Egg transport device as claimed in claim 5, 6 or 7, characterized in that the guide comprises two metal bars (25) operating parallel to each other, and each link (35) is provided with plastic guides that move along the bars. 9. Egg transport device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that each guide comprises two separate plastic lips (43) that meet on each of the two sides of one of the metal bars (25 ) during displacement and, if they separate from the metal bars on or near the conveyor means (3), they are capable by themselves of sliding around the metal bar.